Thriller
Reviewed by:
takenthecannoli, on august 06, 2009 11 of 20 people found this review helpful

Sound: First of all, let me just say that I am SHOCKED that there are no other reviews for this record, what with it being the top-selling album of all time and Michael Jackson's death presumably sparking the nostalgia that causes me to review it even now, not even affecting other fans of his music. Which I am not.
I find it almost difficult to review the classic 'Thriller,' because I actually really like it, and the jiggly happy pop scene is, by no means, one of my favorite brands of music, but, after years of skepticism, I finally popped 'Thriller' in (apparently, I already own it, much like every other human being on the planet), and enjoyed it quite a bit. It pulls off his scene of music a lot nicer, I thought, than the previous Jackson title 'Off the Wall,' but that might be that it's edgier than the lattermentioned. Hang on, let me slap myself for calling 'Thriller' edgy. Thanks.
No, it's not really edgy, it's more like...less fluffy. If 'Off the Wall' was a sparkly, white, poofy cloud floating in the sky, or my hair, than this go is more like a pile of cotton balls, if you see what I'm getting at.
Ah, the sound. Well, it's Michael Jackson, for God's sake, you know what it sounds like. I mean, half the tracks on the album got so much radio play that 'Stairway to Heaven' and other rock classics were soon forgotten beneath its extremely mobile shadow. I say extremely mobile because I know it was probably dancing at the time.
You've got your pop, you've got your 'edge' with "Beat It," which includes a mediocre guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen. Sure, it matches the song; it blends in like marshmellow cream with even more marshmellow cream. Wait.
Anyway, the reason I really didn't like it that much was because...well, it wasn't that great. Sure, it's Van Halen behind the strings, but it's not one of his better solos, by any means.
Other songs follow a slower feel--not balladdy, just slower. You know, gushy love songs. Not as gushy as 'Off the Wall.'
Another comparison to that album--there's a lot less of the 70's in this record, in that there are less trumpets and orchestration, and, for the most part, Michael sticks to using actual pop instruments, all likely computer generated, which I liked. The one thing I don't like about the sound is...well, wait. See, I really, really like the sound, but "PYT" is the stupidest song I've heard in my life. First of all, to open, you've got Jackson crooning in your ear like he's about to molest you (no offense to the man, and I don't mean to be ironic), and then he does his little moan thing, which I'll also get to later, and then you've got this boring, fluffy fluffikins as fluffland can be. And he doesn't pull it off. That's the ONE track that I didn't like. Even "The Girl is Mine," which has guest vocals by the one and only Paul McCartney, is excellent in the light (and light, and light) of "Pretty Young Thing." So, the sound gets an 8/10, losing two stars for that dreadful song that was better left off the wall.
Oh, dear God, I just said that aloud. Okay, moving on. // 8

Lyrics: Well, the lyrics are pretty good--in songs like "Thriller," you've got that fantastical feel that I miss in some artists so much, in "Billie Jean," it's a much more mature feel, dealing with unwanted children and denial over having had slept with someone who's come back to bite you in the butt, "Beat It" is cool, "Human Nature" is also...other than that, the lyrics are mostly average. I mean, it's a big, juicy collection of love songs apart from that, really, and you can't expect everything from the 80's like that, especially in the way of words; musicians gave up on innovative lyrics in the 70's. That is, until Pete Wentz was born.
Anyway, as for the singing, I really shouldn't even have to comment on the one thing Mikey J's known best for--his voice is great, even if you've got the classic Jackson vibrato (that thing where he shakes his voice, for all the kids following along at home), which sounds like he's clapping his hand against his throat while someone moves the microphone further and closer to him really fast. The copyright-patented Michael Jackson Moans are here, as well, and I won't make any comments about how it literally sounds as though he recorded the vocals while he was jack...hammering...but it does. What with the gasps and grunts here and there. Don't get me wrong; it sounds cool. Just...weird.
Everything lyric and singing wise blends very nicely with the rest of the record on every single track, but the complaint I have is not over Michael, it's over Vincent Price and his 'rap' at the end of Thriller. It's just so bloody stupid and insubstantial that I can't even take a stab at REVIEWING it without it falling apart--it murders the great feel of the song by dropping a great bucket of corn all over the music video (it works better there) and the song itself. I mean, I get that Quincey Jones, who produced this record, and Michael, wanted the song to be spookier, but this isn't Scooby Doo. That's MEANT to be lame, by the way, so please don't quote me on that. I'd give the general lyrics and singer skills hands in the air, in praise, but, unfortunately, my mother just cut off two of my fingers for insulting Vincent Price. // 8

Overall Impression: I can't really compare this to other records without treating it harshly and having millions of eighty-year-old fangirls come after me with pitchforks and the like, but I'm giving it my best shot thus far.
Well, it isn't bad, by which I mean it isn't the follow up record, which really should be the top-selling record of all time, in that it's better than 'Thriller.' I mean, despite being a media hog, 'Thriller' is no better than 'Bad--' in fact, it's not nearly as good--and the only reason this record has so much fame is because of Michael's rise to power as the immortal King of Pop at the time. I mean, you've got Motown, you've got the whole Black-on-MTV-thing, and then you've got the music video for the song "Thriller," all of which were unheard of things--Michael's dancing, the black thing, and the music video. Granted, the video for "Thriller" is still my favorite, even over "Bad" and others, but my point is, don't be fooled by the whole 'top selling record of all time.' It's not perfect. Yeah, it's great, and I want you to go buy it if you or your family don't already own it (you do), but it falls below its younger brother by far.
Granted, the sound on this one is great, consistent, the lyrics and singing are excellent, but Vincent and '"Pretty Young Thing" are pretty unforgivable, so I can really only give this record 7 stars. I still love it--great tracks like "Billie Jean" and "Human Nature" make me want to go have a nice, long kissing session with my beautiful girlfriend, but the very LAST thing I thing of when I hear "PYT" is her, and not because she's not pretty, or young, or...thing, but it's so bloody canned-cheese-filled that it's hard just to relate to without throwing up, and maybe it's because I'm such a man's man and don't like creamed corn and making such analogies as the one I did right there, but, there again, I love all music. Just not "PYT." Or country. // 7

Thriller
Reviewed by:
benthegrunge, on july 06, 2010 1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Sound: Invincible was Michael Jacksons first full length album in 6 years and hence can be considered a career comeback. His last couple of albums had seen his music become edgier, further removed from the feelgood pop that made his name and increasingly a reaction to his personal troubles and tabloid critics. Invincible continues in this vein, with "Unbreakable" being an explosive, hostile and radio-unfriendly opener reminiscent of "Scream" on the previous album. It is more of a hip-hop/rnb album than pop, and I think listeners will be most surprised by how contemporary it sounds; Jackson has continued to change and adapt, not simply rehashing his old cheesy pop and becoming a nostalgia artist like some other 80s popstars. Musically the album is quite eclectic, and one criticism could be the track order, as the similar tracks are sometimes grouped together; for example, "Unbreakable" and "Heartbreaker" are followed by the similarly abrasive hip-hop rhythms of the title track, which is not bad but is disadvantaged by following two similar but better tracks. Its the same story with the ballads that are grouped later in the album, and arguably become exhaustive. Sugar-coated, disney-esque tunes like "Speechless" and "Cry" show the opposite extreme of Jacksons sound: his most challenging material ever co-exists with his sappiest ever love songs on Invincible. The best part of the album for most is probably the middle, boasting the singles "Butterflies", "You rock my world", and should-have-been singles "Break of dawn" and "Heaven can wait". "Heaven can wait" has the kind of pulsating rnb beat that you'd expect Alli G to blast out of his car, but is smoothed over by beautiful, multi-layered soulful harmonies. Notable but contrasting highlights include the guitar-driven "2000 watts" and "Privacy", and pick of the airy ballads "You are my life". Jackson has continued his tradition of high-profile guitarists with Slash on "Privacy" and Carlos Santana(!) on "Whatever happens". // 9

Lyrics: Lyrically the album ranges from love songs to invasion of privacy and paranoia. R.Kelly-penned "Cry" is the token humanitarian ballad, whilst "Threatened" continues Jacksons tradition of paranormal-inspired funk. His vocals are nicest when he uses multiple layers to produce dreamy walls of harmonies. The lead vocals are open to debate, as he sounds nasal and strained compared to his Thriller-era peak. Although his passion is there it can be almost uncomfortable to listen to at is worst, but there is nothing as inappropriate on the ballads as the trademark hiccuping that blighted "You are not alone" and "Man in the mirror" previously. // 7

Overall Impression: Ultimately I feel this is a highly underrated comeback that suffered from lack of promotion due to a legal dispute with Sony, and his subsequent court cases, plus arguably wrong choice of singles. Although Jacksons output was limited in his final decade, his influence manifest itself in the newer rnb artists who came through, most of which sounded like poor imitators who would kill for an album as good as Invincible. By 2001 Jackson could do nothing right in the publics eyes, but I genuinely believe that if this record had been made by someone young and trendy like Justin Timberlake or Akon, it would be considered a modern classic by now. // 9

regardless of whether or not you think all this posthumous publicity is too much or not, what he did during his life was absolutely outstanding; his contribution to music as a whole cannot be ignored by any serious music listener. Go ahead and hate the sudden surge of interest in him after his death, but dont hate the man himself.

Don't blame him, blame the media hes not the one controlling them. he sold an estimated 700+million albums and hes been in it all since the age of 5, alot of the world has seen him grow from a little kid superstar to a pop god of course their mourning and if anybody is gonna out-do any other country in exploiting his death look in your own backyard

as for the review; excellent reviewing style, very objective, very thorough and balanced. You definitely didnt need to mention pete wentz .
Yeah you really really didnt need to mention him. At all.
and i think you were a bit quick to take away marks based on tiny little details; your base grade for "sound" was 10/10 but you removed TWO based on ONE SONG? pretty harsh.

No matter whether you like michael or not. he is the worlds greatest musician of the 20th and 21st century.
If you play an instrument or play in a band you should appreciate what he reached and you should care about his death.

jeowy wrote:
regardless of whether or not you think all this posthumous publicity is too much or not, what he did during his life was absolutely outstanding; his contribution to music as a whole cannot be ignored by any serious music listener. Go ahead and hate the sudden surge of interest in him after his death, but dont hate the man himself.

mj was a musician that i liked maybe 4 or 5 songs by. to me i really don't know why people liked his stuff so much, but i will say that (atleast in records sales) no artist will ever be able do what he did.

metalmania616 wrote:
Anyway, the reason I really didn't like it that much was because...well, it wasn't that great. Sure, it's Van Halen behind the strings, but it's not one of his better solos, by any means.
That might be because it wasn't played to be the solo to a song. EVH was messing around in his stuidio and someone "borrowed" the tape.

Gerard my fellow Canadian, I love this!
Thanks for writing this up, I might buy the record.
(To add to the conversation)
Some people are so filled up with their music that they become angry against all other forms of it. Slipknot_420 just doesn't like music, as from the user name methinks he likes SlipKnoT.
But we must remember all music is the same, SlipKnoT is as good as Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson is as good as Dream Theater. If this belief is not enforced music will fail.

why the hell do we f-ing make all this hype and drama last for weeks on end when all the man did was entertain us for a couple decades. but when some1 like a us soilder dies when barely even hear about. some1 who danced and sang to us for a few years dies and we have weeks of drawn publicity and scandals surronding it. don't get me wron he was a phenomenal(sp?) singer and dancer. but why don't we get all this excited and all this worried about shit when some1 dies defending our country? its because of those people that michael jackson got to perform in this great country. that's just my opion.

All a man did was entertain us? He became the first and probably only musical superstar. No other artist was as revered in his or her prime, and no one ever will me. There are just too many musicians now and people, especially here in America, have too much music A.D.D. and move on to the next big thing daily. I like MJ's hits but other than that i'm not too impressed with his music- but you can't deny his impact on your life, especially you Slipknot- we all know how he IMPACTED you.

jeowy wrote:
metalmania616 wrote:
Anyway, the reason I really didn't like it that much was because...well, it wasn't that great. Sure, it's Van Halen behind the strings, but it's not one of his better solos, by any means.
That might be because it wasn't played to be the solo to a song. EVH was messing around in his stuidio and someone "borrowed" the tape. wut

sweet-cheeks-72 wrote:
why the hell do we f-ing make all this hype and drama last for weeks on end when all the man did was entertain us for a couple decades. but when some1 like a us soilder dies when barely even hear about. some1 who danced and sang to us for a few years dies and we have weeks of drawn publicity and scandals surronding it. don't get me wron he was a phenomenal(sp?) singer and dancer. but why don't we get all this excited and all this worried about shit when some1 dies defending our country? its because of those people that michael jackson got to perform in this great country. that's just my opion.

I could not agree with you more. There are people out there risking their lives for us, and no one seems to give a damn if one of them dies. In the mean time we make a huge thing out of a musician's death. The man was a great performer and had some good music, but there were several allegations against him that he molested children. This man clearly was not of high ethical or moral standards, and I do not get whey the public is making this gigantic fuss over his death. How about we honor our troops' deaths?

i disagree with this review. thriller was a great album, obviously people liked it since it is the best selling album and why is that? well first of all this album doesn't get boring, you could keep listening to the classics like billie jean and beat it, thriller, and wanna be starting something over and over again. Michael jackson had elements, of pop, rock, funk, r&b, it appealed to everyone. and what about the music videos, they are so fun to watch, everytime you watch the classic thriller video you realize that there is a story behind each of them, each music video was a like a little movie made just for one song. this album brought michael jackson 8 grammys including record of the year and album of the year.

The man greatly influenced the music industry we have to give him that, but denying the fact that he became a crazed lunatic is just acting like a stupid idiot IMHO.
His work is great, but the man himself not so much.

Draconey wrote:
Gerard my fellow Canadian, I love this!
Thanks for writing this up, I might buy the record.
(To add to the conversation)
Some people are so filled up with their music that they become angry against all other forms of it. Slipknot_420 just doesn't like music, as from the user name methinks he likes SlipKnoT.
But we must remember all music is the same, SlipKnoT is as good as Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson is as good as Dream Theater. If this belief is not enforced music will fail.

Ah, I'm not Canadian? Haha.
Hey, guys, I don't hate Michael or anything. I love his music to death; I listen to Thriller a whole lot. I just want people new to his music to be sure that it's not the best they can get when it comes to Michael.
Also, this is NOT a commemoration to his death--this is a review for his album. I'm not going to review it better than I would if he were still alive just because the man's dead.

jeowy wrote:
You definitely didnt need to mention pete wentz.
Yeah you really really didnt need to mention him. At all.
and i think you were a bit quick to take away marks based on tiny little details; your base grade for "sound" was 10/10 but you removed TWO based on ONE SONG? pretty harsh.

Haha, I didn't, I know.
As for the two stars...I didn't take them both away for one song--I took one for Vincent and the Van Halen solo being iffy. If they had been better, the record would have gotten 9. One thing I refuse to do, to a degree, is give a record 10 out of 10, just because I am very objective and feel like it's a bit...I don't know... I don't know. I find it hard to give a ten on anything, because I guess I don't believe in perfection. XD Thanks for reading.

This album sounds FANTASTIC. I'm surprised at what you criticized. If this isn't a great album then I don't know what is. It has so many classic tracks. I'm not saying you necessarily didn't appreciate it enough, since you have your own set of ears so decide for youself, but to me, when someone criticizes Thriller, it's like when an ugly girl says about an beautiful woman, "yeah, but she's beautiful in an OBVIOUS way".

Les Paul Ell wrote:
This album sounds FANTASTIC. I'm surprised at what you criticized. If this isn't a great album then I don't know what is. It has so many classic tracks. I'm not saying you necessarily didn't appreciate it enough, since you have your own set of ears so decide for youself, but to me, when someone criticizes Thriller, it's like when an ugly girl says about an beautiful woman, "yeah, but she's beautiful in an OBVIOUS way".

Extremely well-put. We all know girls like that. You can complain about Thriller subjectively all you want. But on the objective front, it's like saying Rembrandt or Paul Newman were hacks; you can rag on them all you want, but 99% of the population says you're full of crap.
And it Pete Wentz is your barometer for good lyrics, the only thing you should be writing is high school term papers.

Also I'm sorry did this brat reviewer also say innovative lyrics were dropped in the 70's - untilll pete wentz was born?!?!
What a JOKE!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?
Bob DYlan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young TOM WAITS
To name the obvious few all had lyrically and consistently incredible albums in the seventies!!!

One-FISH- wrote:
All a man did was entertain us? He became the first and probably only musical superstar. No other artist was as revered in his or her prime, and no one ever will me. There are just too many musicians now and people, especially here in America, have too much music A.D.D. and move on to the next big thing daily. I like MJ's hits but other than that i'm not too impressed with his music- but you can't deny his impact on your life, especially you Slipknot- we all know how he IMPACTED you.

don't get me wrong i'll miss the man and he made alot of what music is today but there are people dying that did alot more in there lifetime then he did. i respect him but the not the hype over his death

metalmania616 wrote:
Anyway, the reason I really didn't like it that much was because...well, it wasn't that great. Sure, it's Van Halen behind the strings, but it's not one of his better solos, by any means.
That might be because it wasn't played to be the solo to a song. EVH was messing around in his stuidio and someone "borrowed" the tape.

WTF?
Quincy Jones rang Eddie and asked him to record a solo. Any Eddie fan knows that. It's been common knowledge since it happened.

Guys, calm down. I said lyrics gave up innovation in the 70's--as in, once the 70's were done--and it's true. The 80's had some great stuff, but a lot of the artists sound similar, lyrically speaking. In the 70's, EVERYONE was unique, practically.
Too many commas? Sorry, there's this thing called grammar that I like to use.
The Pete Wentz thing...I don't really love him to death, but some of the stuff he writes is pretty unique, and I have yet to see ANYONE coming out of the 2000's who can write like him.
The reason I gave Thriller any less than 10 stars is because that is how I feel. As I said, when it all comes down to it, it IS a matter of opinion, and, really, any review is flawed because it's written from a perspective of an individual with specific taste. Unless we could find someone (you never will) ABSOLUTELY unbiased and completely objective, critics will NEVER satisfy anyone. I don't feel Thriller was the greatest album of all time--that doesn't mean anyone has to agree. This review isn't for the opinionated--rather, for the people who haven't heard it and are interested. And I recommended it, didn't I? Because I love the record, just not as much as Bad.
Stop leaving comments on my page, please; leave whatever you have to say here. My opinion isn't changing--sorry.
Don't call a review terrible just because you don't agree. It's not there, again, for people with formed, steady opinions. It's there to recommend (or not recommend) newcomers, and, even then, it's up to the reader as to what they think.

great, so my invincible review has been put in completely the wrong place, and ppl will continue to assume its a naff album forevermore
oh and "whats cheesy about ur review" gerard way jnr. gee i dno, references 2 marshmallow and scooby doo maybe?

Good job doing this but I think u have forgotten about some things: This is the album with highest selling ever, it has revolutionized pop(yeah that was real pop music back then xD) music generally, it made MJ become an icon of music/dance/groove; and finally changed what people think about music and music videos . For me that's not the best cd ever but for sure the best MJ cd ;]. Altrought i like to listen drop B stuff i like to listen things like thriller too- that's the magic of MJ music!

Dear Gerard Way Jr,
Please refrain from saying things like, "Oh, dear God, I just said that aloud. Okay, moving on," and, "wait," in the middle of your review if you would like to be taken seriously. kthx!

jeowy wrote:
regardless of whether or not you think all this posthumous publicity is too much or not, what he did during his life was absolutely outstanding; his contribution to music as a whole cannot be ignored by any serious music listener. Go ahead and hate the sudden surge of interest in him after his death, but dont hate the man himself.

MJ rocks....now I may be a bit bias (check my username!) but I think some of the points are just darn DAFT!
THRILLER revolutionised pop, infact no, it MADE pop music! Half of the artists around today would not exsist without this album! Chris Brown, no, Usher, no, Jason De-Rulo, no, Justin Timberlake, big fat NO!
This album changed the face of music, and the fact that the record counters STOPPED counting how many were sold because they tought NOBODY would ever hit that mark again, tells us something!
Think...without this album, we may be subjected to 500000 ABBA copies nowadays! Who would you prefer seriously...MJ clones...or ABBA clones? Ooof...MJ all the way!
Yeah, there was a huge surge of interest after his death, but isnt that to be expected...I mean SHAMONE he died?! The biggest artist in music died...did you expect every one to say 'aww what a shame, now how many sugars do you have in your tea?' and get on with their lives?....NOPE!

FuruiShin wrote:
Good job doing this but I think u have forgotten about some things: This is the album with highest selling ever, it has revolutionized pop(yeah that was real pop music back then xD) music generally, it made MJ become an icon of music/dance/groove; and finally changed what people think about music and music videos . For me that's not the best cd ever but for sure the best MJ cd ;]. Altrought i like to listen drop B stuff i like to listen things like thriller too- that's the magic of MJ music!

I didn't forget any of that. My review was my review. I'm as big a fan of MJ as anyone, but that doesn't change the fact that I think he's overrated.

beineken wrote:
Dear Gerard Way Jr,
Please refrain from saying things like, "Oh, dear God, I just said that aloud. Okay, moving on," and, "wait," in the middle of your review if you would like to be taken seriously. kthx!

Dear reader,
Don't tell me how to write my reviews and refrain from using phrases like "kthx" if you wish to be taken seriously.
Warmest personal regards,
GWJ

Also, I think many of you are so stuck in the seventies and eighties that you can't come to terms with the fact that GOOD music is being made RIGHT NOW.
No, I do not put Pete Wentz up with Dylan, Waters, Waits, and my other favorites, but he introduced a cheeky style that tons of bands have been trying to copy ever since, something we hadn't seen much of beforehand. Don't whip out your early punk references; I DO know what I'm talking about.
Final word: if you don't like my opinion, let readers know what yours is. In essence, that's all a critic is: ONE person with ONE opinion. I do NOT think that my opinion is the only one or ever the right one. Even since the composition of this review, my own opinion has evolved. Granted, I doubt it's changed enough for a rewrite, but there are things I see now that I didn't see then and other things that I used to think were truly genius which aren't so special anymore.
Music is music, whether or not the composer is dead, and opinions are opinions, no matter whether it's a terrible writer or Charles Dickens expressing said opinion. I'm not going to tell you all how to think, I simply stated what was on my mind in regards to this record.